Not being a pilot in any way shape or form I can only track these arguments with a general engineering interest. However, I think there is a significant issue in that the crew on this flight seemed to have despaired of thinking through the situation to understand and respond to their predicament. Something put a lock on their brains. If you are going to design ever more complex systems which nevertheless can still fail and require effective intervention, such a situation needs to be understood so that the warnings/protections/information presentation can quickly bring the humans up to speed.
Maybe believing that the a/c is a complex system allows the possibility of defeatism, ie that the machine has betrayed you in a way no-one had previously anticipated so we are the unlucky guinea pigs. The a/c not responding to increased thrust or NU commands may just have reinforced that and everyone effectively shrugged and gave up.
Last edited by Mr Optimistic; 31st Dec 2011 at 16:46.
Reason: typo